Handle with cord control mechanism



nm'za, 1952- E. P. TURNER HANDLE wmx CORD CONTROL MECHANISM Filed March9. 1949 4 invent; EDGAR P TURNER @Zfazney Patented Dec. 23, 1 952 UNITEDSTATE s A'iiENT OFFICE :I IANDLE GORD CONTROL MECHANISM Eflgarl.'Iurner, Fanwood,N.J., .assignor to The Singer ;Manufac'turing Company,Elizabeth, N.J'.,' a. corporation of New Jersey Applications/1am 9,19-49, Serial-No. 80,361 7 Claims. (Cl. 1889-651) This invention relatesto vacuum cleaner handles having a springbifiSedTtake-up; reel forretention of an electric extension cord, and more particularly to a cordcontrol mechanism whereby the extension cord-maybe pulled from the reel,held at any desired,extended'position, or allowed to be retrieved by.thereel.

The primary object of mypresent invention is the provision of animproved device 10f, this ,character which will-be ineipensive tomanufacture, compact in construction, vand reliable-in operation.

Other important objects of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing specification and claims.

For a complete understanding of my invention reference should bemade tothe drawings which form a part of this specification and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a vacuumcle'aner handle equipped with myimproved cord control mechanism, the handle being shown as shortened byomittingra middle portion-thereof;

Fig. 2 is an enlar'gedrside ,elevat'ional view of the upper end of thehandle shown in Fig. 1, parts being cut away to illustrate internalconstruction;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 3-7-3 of Fi'g. l;

Fig. 4 is an ehlargedsectional view taken on the line li4 :of Fig. 1,"dottedlines showing the depressed position of the push button; and

Figs. 5 and 'fi are-perspective .views of certain individual parts ofthatcord Jcontrolmechanism.

A more detailed disclosure of the overall features of the'vacuum cleaner-handle shown in the accompanying single sheet of drawings will. befound in patent-application Serial No. 781,836, filed October 24,1947,in patent application Serial No. 1,386, filed January 9, 1948;andin U.S.design patent No. Des. 152,182, issued December 28, 1948.

The vacuum cleaner handle H illustrated in the accompanying 7 drawings;is pivotally attached to a vacuum cleaner-casing (not-shown) by'meansof a. pair of flatme'tallic arms 1-2-42. The vacdum cleanerhandleisconstructed from a plurality of parts, including, a comparatively widecord-reel housing 1 3 2a. transversely extending pick-up handle 1-4, apair of convergentiiver-- gent handle arms or tubes IS-I 6, and a handgrip portion 11, the latter being tor-med of plastic. The hand grip H isconstructed-from an upper shell 18 and'a lower shell 'l Qheld togetherby screws as 20. Both shells 1'8 and '-l9 a-re recessed to form a cavitytherebetween.

houses a cord take-up reel 23.

The reel housing [3 carries .a decorative Incdallion 2| and a screen 22on its outer vface and V The lower .or divergent terminals of the hollowhandle tubes 16 and it are partly embedded in rearwardly extendingportions "of the reel housing 13. The rearward or convergent terminalsof the handle tubes I6 and t6 enter and are secured between the upperand lower shells l8 and [,9 of the comparatively narrow hand grip H.

The cord -reel;23, which maybe any one ofseveral known spring biasedcord -reels, :is rotatably supported in the reel case It on a fixed axle.24, and a two conductor electric extension cord 26, round in-crosssection, is pulled from and retrieved by the reel 23 as necessitydictates, the

free end of the cord-2'6 being :provided with the usual electric plug 27which is suitable for energizing the vacuum cleaner-from a conventionalelectrical receptacle. As the cord 26 leaves the reel23 it enters theforward or lower terminal of the hollow handle tube It, passes throughthe tube to the upper end thereof, Where a guiding sheaveor groovedroller 28 is supported inside the handle tube It on an axle 29. The axle,29 and thus the sheave 28 extends crosswise of the handle grip IT. Thecord 26, just before it leaves the tube IE, passes over the top of thesheave 28 and then enters the cavity provided between the two handlegrip shells l8 and i9.

Thereafter the cord 26 exits from the hand *grip through a U-shapedaperture or cord-exit opening '3'! provided in the lower shell IS. Theaperture 31 is formed in a wall, which may be termed an anvil 32. Thiswall is U-shaped in cross section and of a size to advantageouslyreceive the cord 26. The cord 26 as it passes through the aperture 3| ispositioned so as to lie parallel to the bottom of the U-shaped channel31.

As stated above, the hand grip l'l comprises an upper shell l8 and alowershell l9, and these shells join on a surface indicated by thenumeral :33. Fig. 1 shows that the main portion latch .38, and a cordcontrol (mechanism indicated generally by the numeral 44.

The cord control mechanism 44 is constructed from separate elementscooperating with portions of the upper and lower hand-grip shells; theelements being a dog member 46, a push button cup 41, a helicalcompression biasing spring 48, and a disc 49. The dog member 46, whichis best shown in Figs. 3 and 6, has a cylindrical rock-shaft 54journaled in bearing notches 56, 51 and 59. Notches 56 and 51 are formedin the lower ends of depending bosses 59 and 69 respectively and notch58 is formed in a boss 6l that is integral with the side wall portion ofthe upper handle shell [8. The lower shell I9 is provided with a pair ofupwardly extending bosses 62 and 63 which engage the lower ends of thebosses 59 and BI respectively and thus effectively close the bearingnotches to journal the shaft 54.

The dog member shaft 54 has a presser or brake arm 64 secured adjacentone of its ends, and the arm 64 is surrounded or tired with a rubberwasher 66, preferably of rectangular cross section. In order to hold therubber tire 66 in place, both ends of the arm 64 are provided withflanges 61-61. The free end of the arm 64 is slabbed as at 68 for areason later to be set forth. Toward the other end of the shaft 54, thedog member 46 is provided with an operating lever 69, having at its freeend a knob H. Reference to Fig. 6 shows that the arm '64 and the arm 69are spaced approximately one hundred and fifteen degrees (115) apartaround the axis of the shaft 54.

The push button cup 41 which is generally cylindrical in form, ispreferably made of plastic and is provided with a longitudinallyextending slot 12 that is arranged to receive the arm 69. The upper endof this slot 12 is concave as at 13 and engages the upper edge of therounded portion of the knob H. The lower portion of the button 4'! isprovided with a concentric hole 14, bounded at the top by an upper wall16, and surrounded, except where it connects with the slot i2, by acylindrical wall formed integral with the button. The disc 49 ispositioned in the hole 14 and is pressed upwardly against the wall 16 bythe spring 48 of which the upper end also enters the hole I4. When theparts are assembled, the lower portion of the knob H is engaged by theupper surface of the disc 49. The lower end of the spring 48 whichprotrudes from the hole 14 encircles a post 11 rising from the insidesurface of the lower shell 19 and, when the two shells I8 and I9 are inassembled relation, the post 11 is located directly below and concentricwith an orifice 18 formed in the upper casing shell 18. The upper endportion of the button 41 is of reduced cross section and thereby forms ashoulder 79 which engages the inner surface of the upper shell where thereduced portion of the button 41 passes through the orifice 18, thuslimiting the outward movement of the button 41.

If it is assumed that the cord take-up reel 23 has fully retrieved theelectric cord 26, the electric plug 21 will be at the position shown bythe dotted lines in Fig. 2, and when no pressure is applied to thebutton 41 (solid lines of Fig. 4) the spring 48 will press the disc 49,the button 4'! and the arm 69-'Il upwardly. This tends to cause aclockwise rotation (Figs. 2 and 4) of the shaft 54, whereby the slabbedside 68 of the presser arm 64 presses the rubber tire 66 against the topsurface of the extension cord 26, thereby clamping the cord 26 againstthe anvil 32.

When it is desired to extend the cord 26, the plug 21 is simply pulleduntil enough cord has been unwound from the reel 23. The tired arm 64does not impede movement of the cord 26 out of the handle. While thetake-up reel 23 tends to retrieve the cord 26, the position of the arm64, the slabbed surface 68 and the tire 66, with respect to the anvil32, causes the arm 64 to act as a toggle that prevents the cord 26 frombeing retrieved by the reel 23. The holding of the cord 26 by the togglearm 64 is particularly efiective because of the high coefficient offriction that results from contact of the rubber tire 66 with the rubbercord 26. In this connection, it should be noted that the rubber cord 26is not damaged by the rubber tire '66. Should it be desired to allow thetake-up reel 23 to retrieve the cord, it is simply necessary to depressthe button 4'1, against the pressure of the spring 48, which lowers thearm 69 and causes the shaft 54 to move in a counterclockwise direction,thus raising the presser arm 64 and its tire 66 away from the cord 26and the anvil 32.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis:

1. A vacuum cleaner handle having a handgrip comprising, an upper shelland a lower shell clamped together to form a cavity therebetween; arock-shaft pivotally supported in said cavity; an operating lever and apresser-arm carried by said shaft; an anvil slot formed in one of saidshells; an extension cord movable in said anvil slot and engaged by saidpresser-arm; a pushbutton located adjacent to said operating lever andhaving a hole and a slot, said slot being entered by said operatinglever; and a compression spring entering said hole in said push-button,one end of said spring engaging one of said shells, and the other end ofsaid spring biasing said lever to pivot said rock-shaft and therebyforce said presser-arm to clamp said cord against said anvil slot.

2. In a vacuum cleaner handle hand-grip; an upper shell and a lowershell clamped together to form a cavity therebetween, said upper shellhaving an orifice and said lower shell having a post concentric withsaid orifice; a plurality of complemental bosses formed integral withsaid upper and lower shells, some of said bosses being notched; arock-shaft pivotally supported in said cavity by said bosses;an-operating lever and a presser-arm carried by said rock-shaft; ananvil slot formed in said lower shell; an extension cord movable in saidanvil slot and engaged by said presser-arm; a push-button locatedadjacent to said operating lever and having a reduced end extendingthrough the orifice in said upper shell, said push-button having a holeand a slot, the latter receiving the end of said operating lever; and aspring surrounding said post and entering the hole in said push-buttonfor biasing said lever in a direction to effect clamping of said cord bysaid presser-arm.

3. In a vacuum cleaner handle hand-grip; an upper plastic shell and alower plastic shell clamped together to form a cavity therebetween, saidupper shell having an orifice and said lower shell having a postconcentric with said orifice; a rock-shaft supported in said cavity bysaid upper and lower shells; an operating lever carried by said shaftand perpendicular thereto; a presser arm also carried by andperpendicular to said shaft and spaced circumferentially around the axisof said shaft from said operating lever; a rubber tire surrounding theperiphery of said presser arm; a U-shaped anvil formed integral withsaid lower shell; an extension cord movable past said U-shaped anvil andengaged by said tire on said presser arm; a cup-shaped plasticpush-button having a reduced end extending through the orifice in saidupper shell, said push-button having a cylindrical hole and a slot, thelatter for receiving the end of said operating lever; a disc disposed insaid hole in engagement with said operating lever; and a compressionspring surrounding said post, entering said hole in said push-button,and engaging said disc.

4. A vacuum cleaner handle having a handgrip comprising opposed shellsproviding a cavity therebetween, one of said shells having a wallterminating in a cord-exit opening and one of said shells also having aplurality of first bosses, an extension cord movable past said wall andthrough said opening, a push-button disposed in said cavity and havingone end extending through one of said shells, said push-button beinglengthwise provided with a slot and having its opposite end providedwith an axial opening connected with said slot, a plurality of notchedbosses formed on one of said shells complemental to said first bosses, atwo-armed operating lever pivctally mounted by said bosses in saidcavity, one arm of said lever entering the push-button slot and theother arm being opposed to said Wall in engagement with said cord, andan operatinglever biasing spring housed in the opening of saidpush-button.

5. In a vacuum cleaner handle grip; two plastic shells clamped togetherto form a cavity therebetween, one of said shells having a plurality ofbosses and an orifice and the other of said shells having a plurality ofbosses complemental to said first bosses and a post concentric with saidorifice; a rock-shaft supported in said cavity by said bosses; anoperating lever carried by one end of said rock-shaft; a presser-armcarried by the other end of said rock-shaft; a braking member carried bysaid presser-arm; an anvil slot formed in one of said shells and locatedadjacent to said presser-arm; an extension cord movable in said anvilslot and engaged by said braking member; a cylindrical push-button located adjacent to said operating lever and having a reduced endextending through said orifice, the other end of said push-button havinga concentric hole and a slot extending lengthwise thereof andcommunicating with said concentric hole, said slot being adapted toreceive said operating lever; and a compression spring surrounding saidpost, entering said concentric hole in said pushbutton, and engaging andthereby biasing said operating lever.

6. A vacuum cleaner hand-grip, comprising; an upper shell having anorifice and a plurality of integrally formed notched bosses; a lowershell having a post and a plurality of integrally formed bosses, theupper and lower shells being clamped together to form a cavitytherebetween and to position said orifice concentric with said post andsaid bosses on said upper shell complemental to said bosses on saidlower shell; a cylindrical rock-shaft pivotally supported in said cavityby said complemental bosses; an operating lever and a presser-arm formedintegral with said shaft and axially spaced therealong, said lever andpresser-arm also being circumferentially spaced around said shaft; arubber braking member carried by said presser-arm; an anvil slot formedin one of said shells and located to cooperate with said rubber brakingmember and said presser-arm; an extension cord movable in said anvilslot and engagedby said rubber member; a cylindrical push-button locatedadjacent to said operating lever and having a reduced end entering saidorifice and also having a concentric hole and a slot, said slot and saidhole being entered by said operating lever; and a compression springentering said hole in said push-button and engaging said post, springbiasing said lever to force said rubber braking member carried by saidpresser-arm to clamp said cord in said anvil slot and to bias saidpush-button into said orifice and against said upper shell.

7. In a vacuum cleaner handle grip; two plastic shells clamped togetherto form a cavity therebetween, one of the shells having an orifice andthe other of said shells having a post concentric with said orifice; arock-shaft supported in said cavity by said shells; an operating levercarried by said shaft; a presser arm also carried by said shaft; abraking means carried by said presser arm; an anvil slot formed in oneof said shells; an extension cord movable in said anvil slot and engagedby said braking means; a pushbutton extending through the orifice in oneof said shells, said push-button having a means for engaging saidoperating lever; and a compression spring engaging said post, andbiasing said push-button and operating lever.

EDGAR P. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 822,058 Kurella May 29, 19061,887,173 Farnarin Nov. 8, 1932 1,936,463 Strang Nov. 21, 1933 2,016,935Strang et al Oct. 8, 1935 2,161,461 Doherty June 6, 1939 2,187,361Palsson Jan. 16, 1940

